LKS2 Topic: The Romans in Britain Block G: Roman Army and Busts

Session 1Understanding why the Roman armywas so powerful
National Curriculum / History:Develop a chronologically secure knowledge of world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the Roman era;Understand how knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources;Address and devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference and significance; Construct informed responses that come from the selection of relevant historical information; Understand the power of the Roman army and its significance to the Empire’s success.
Teaching Objectives / To investigate the Roman army and significant Romans who influenced and made the army great.
Resources
Non-fiction text on Roman Army/soldiers and information on Gaius Marius; Bean bags; Large pieces of cardboard. / Weblinks
BBC schools video on the Roman army.
Whole class: Explain to chn that today you will be beginning to look at the Roman army. It was thanks to the success of the Roman army that the Romans managed to expand their Empire to make it one of the largest in world history!The Roman army are still remembered as being one of the best, most effective armies ever. Some ideas that Roman army leaders used are still used today. Watch the BBC videos: ‘The armour and weapons used by the Roman army’ and ‘What life as a Roman soldier would have been like’. Discuss how we know so much about the army from artefacts such as weapons and helmets and depictions of Roman battles.Look at the information about Gaius Marius – the great man of the army (session resource). Explain the reforms he made to the Roman army and the impact these reforms had. He knew that the army needed to have more men in order to defeat any threats; however, until then only landowners were able to join. The first change was that poor men could join up and were tempted with the chance to travel and to be paid. Men used to have to provide their own armour and weapons. Marius changed this and created the uniform look that we recognise today. Training took place all year round, even in times of peace, so they were always ready. Training was standardised, so the entire army worked in the same way. Marius also gave land or money to retiring soldiers who had served their time in the army.Marius was known for being fierce and also for fighting and living alongside his men. He won many battles. Use a non-fiction text about the Roman army and soldiers in the class and show chn a picture of a Roman soldier – what is he wearing?Look at his armour, shield and weapons. What is each part for? Why was it so effective? Remind chn that this was from a long time ago – use your class timeline to demonstrate. How does a soldier look today? Discuss comparisons between Roman and modern soldiers –guns, bullet-proof vests versus swords, shields, etc.
All Children– in a large space (school hall or playground)the class will train together like a century, headed by a centurion
In small groups try marching in a line, without looking at each other, at the same time and the same speed. Come together as a class – try it in three long rows. Why is it difficult? Give the front row a shield each (large pieces of cardboard that are all the same size).
Split the class into two groups, Roman army and ‘barbarians’. The Romans march, with their shields up, towards the barbarians, who are stood in an unorganised line. Stop them before they reach each other. Ask a child from the barbarians how they felt. Ask a Roman soldier how they felt. ‘Arm’ the Barbarians with bean bags (arrows). Ask the Romans to create the ‘tortoise’ formation and begin to march towards the barbarians.The barbarians throw beanbags at the Romans. How many of the Romans got hit by a beanbag? Swap the two groups around and repeat the activity. Discuss which army they would rather have been part of and why.
Plenary / ‘Hot-seat’ a confident child. They have decided to join the Roman army. Why did you decide to join? What does your family think of their decision? What is life like in the army?
Outcomes / Children will
  • Explain some of the reasons why the Roman army was so successful
  • Understand why someone would have joined the Roman army

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